


Avengers Assemble!

by Shinigami24



Series: It's a Wonderful World [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avenger Bucky Barnes, Battle of New York (Marvel), Canon Divergence - Avengers (2012), Captain America: The First Avenger Spoilers, Flashbacks, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Marvel Cameos, Minor Character Death, Not Tony Stark Friendly, Pre-Avengers (2012), Pre-Thor: The Dark World, The Tesseract (Marvel), Tony Stark is not an Avenger, Trip is an Avenger, Wasp is an Avenger, anti tony stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-04-30 08:00:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 15,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14492439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinigami24/pseuds/Shinigami24
Summary: Nick Fury and Phil Coulson form a special team to handle matters of great proportion. They will take on the world and face a great power unknown.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the fic I mentioned. I came up with this idea in reply to a discussion going around on tumblr. Tony fans better stay the hell away, because they won't like this series at all. I'll be tagging as I go, because I don't want to ruin the fic for everyone. I'll be following canon, mostly. I'll also incorporate scenes that were deleted or used in the comics. I haven't read the comics that goes with the movies, so if I goofed, I apologize. Here's a spoiler, Bucky didn't kill Howard. But I won't reveal the actual killer until I post the Civil War arc.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SHIELD wants to take a risk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the prologue. BoSA will be updated tmw. Tony fans won't like this fic at all. So they better stay away. The back button is right there. Constructive criticism are welcome. But all flames and any threats will be deleted.  
> I apologize to my loyal readers, but I really don't want anyone to get the wise idea to threaten me into deleting this fic. I got the idea for this fic from a very interesting post on tumblr.

_'Butterfly Effect: a single change, no matter how small can change the course of the world as we know it forever'-The Chaos Theory_

Everyone in SHIELD knows the story of Howard Stark and Hank Pym's infamous fallout that led to Hank resigning from SHIELD forever. However, only a select few knows what happened next.

_**1989, Sousa house;** _

A few days after Hank's resignation, the men met at Peggy's place. Both Peggy and her husband Daniel were there. Hank refused to look at Howard. He was absolutely fuming. Howard was glum and guilt ridden. He knew that he had went too far. Peggy had not been amused and let him know it.

"I'm sorry for everything." Howard apologized. Hank sighed,

"Okay, fine. I accept it." he responded. They shook hands to make up.

**_San Francisco, California;_ **

A few days later, Hank and Peggy found Hope in her bedroom. The nine years old girl had been brought home from her boarding school. Hope looked at her dad before looking away again. The young girl was still unhappy about being exiled after her mom's death. While it had been two years, the pain still felt fresh.

Peggy looked at Hank expectantly, the man swallowed. This wasn't going to be easy, but as his former bosses advised, the truth had to be told. Taking a deep breath, before letting it out, Hank started to speak,

"There's something I need to tell you, it's about your mom." he began. Hope looked up as her father began to explain. At the end of Hank's tale, Hope cried into her father's arms. Two years' worth of grief and frustration filling her heart. While she still missed her mom, at least she knew that there was hope that someday they would have her back. And that her mom had been a hero.

Their relationship was slow to mend, but it was a strong start. When she was an adult, Hope became The Wasp. They worked together from then on. Hank became her mentor and support. He was starting to look for a replacement.

One day in 2011, Bucky Barnes escaped from HYDRA. Only a select few knew that the Fist of HYDRA had escaped his captors. While old and frail, Peggy's mind was sharp as ever. As co-founder of SHIELD, she had all files on Bucky buried under a huge pile of red tape. She and the remaining surviving Howling Commandos swore their families to secrecy before taking Bucky to one of their family safe houses in order for him to heal.

The Secretary for the World Security Council; Alexander Pierce gnashed his teeth in frustration. Their greatest Asset had escaped! If anyone knew where he was, they certainly wasn't sharing. It wasn't a very good year for HYDRA.

Over the next year, Bucky slowly got better. His memories returned and grief overtook him when he realized that nearly everyone he knew were gone. But with help from his still living friends; Dum Dum, Jacques, Gabe, and Peggy he was able to move past his grief, well mostly. He still missed Steve so much and wanted to be with him.

He started doing free lance work. He would take missions from time to time, he only reported to Nick Fury. Peggy had been quite livid when she discovered that HYDRA was thriving in her beloved agency. Her worst fears regarding Howard's murder had been confirmed. No one was happy in the least. Sadly, no one knew who they could trust outside of their circle of close friends. They needed to figure it out first before they tried taking on the current HYDRA incarnation.

As months passed, Bucky adjusted to the 21st century. He learned to live again. He read books, watched movies, and got used to the new changes. Some changes were for the best, while others wasn't. The new tech fascinated him, however there was a fly in the ointment.

"Dammit, I really wanted a flying car." he pouted. Then one day, he received visitors...

* * *

**_Times Square, Manhattan, New York, 2012;  
_ **

Steve Rogers looked around Times Square in confusion. Where was he? While he knew that this place was New York, it didn't look anything like his home! There were colorful flashing signs. Where had those buildings come from? He spun around. All of sudden, cars surrounded him. An one eyed man wearing a eye patch emerged from a car to approach him.

"Sorry about this, Captain Rogers. We wanted to break things to you gently." he began. Steve looked at the man.

"You've been sleep for nearly 70 years." he stated. Steve froze as realization dawned. Peggy was going to kill him for missing his dancing lesson!

"I had a date." was all he could say.

"Well, there's someone who has been waiting to see you." the man mentioned. Steve was then taken to an apartment. Steve was confused when they stood in the living room of said apartment. A man walked towards Steve. He wore cargo pants, boots, and a tank top. He had dark short hair and his face was unshaven. Still, he was all too familiar to Steve.

"Bucky?" Steve swallowed hard as he stared at the older man stricken. The last time he had seen his love was when he fell from the train. He instantly rushed into Bucky's arms. They hugged each other tightly.

"I missed you, punk." Bucky responded. Fury left the pair to catch up.

* * *

A hour or so later, Phil and Nick talked in Fury's office. They were excited about Avengers Initiative. Phil was over the moon about Captain America being back.

"We can form this team with those names." he was saying. As they looked at a folder filled with pictures and profiles including specs and a list of their skill sets. Bucky and Steve's pictures were part of the pile.

"Do you think this will work?" Fury wanted to know.

"I believe so, sir." Phil responded.

**_on the other side of the galaxy;_ **

Loki met up with Thanos. Loki was unsure, while Thanos was confident.

"Will you serve me loyally?" Thanos asked.

"Yes, Thanos," he answered with trepidation.

"Good. Now, I have a job for you. The Other can fill you in on the details." Thanos smirked, as he gestured for the Other to come forwards. Loki was terrified...


	2. Havoc

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki makes his way to Midgard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 1. Depending on how things pans out, ch 2 should be posted tmw.  
> I borrowed quotes and dialogue from the movie. I'm using several of Fury's quotes. He is a total BAMF, I still wish that he had been more involved in Civil War. I so wanted to see how he would react to the Accords. I know he is too secretive. But we cannot really blame him, he was an active agent during the Cold War, a time when you never knew who to trust.

**_The Sancutary, on the other end of the galaxy;_ **

The Other and Thanos were discussing the upcoming invasion of Earth. The Other made his statement;

_'The Tesseract has awakened. It is on a little world. A human world. They would wield its power, but our ally knows its working as they never will. He is ready to lead. And our force, our Chitauri, will follow. The world will be his. The universe yours. And the humans, what can they do but burn?'_

"Do it. Send Loki to that world." Thanos commanded.

* * *

**_Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility, Mojave Desert, United States of America, Earth;_ **

Nick Fury and Maria Hill arrived at the facility via copter. An evacuation was within progress. SHIELD was giving instructions over the intercom, while agents directed fellow personnel and NASA scientists. Workers transported their belongings and work to their cars or other vehicles. Phil Coulson met them.

"Transport Phase 2 prototypes." Fury commanded.

"Sir, it could be futile." Maria tried.

"Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on." Fury responded. Hill sighed before she left with a fellow SHIELD agent. Coulson walked with Fury, filling him in. They eventually went their separate ways as Fury arrived at the lab and found Professor Erik Selvig.

"Sir, the Tesseract is misbehaving." he reported. They talked for a bit before Fury had a question;

"Where's Barton?" he asked. Erik scoffed;

"You mean the hawk? He's up in his nest." he replied. Fury got Barton on the radio.

"Report Barton." Clint Barton came down from his perch.

"I gave you one job." Fury scolded.

"I see better from a distance." the sniper replied. Fury let the matter go, they had better things to discuss such as the bizarre situation with the Tesseract. After years of radio silence, why was it all of sudden acting up?

"Anything on what happened?" Fury wanted to know.

"Nothing. Selvig's clean. If there was any tampering sir, it wasn't at this end." Clint responded.

"At this end?" Fury asked.

"Yeah, the cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right? Doors open from both sides." Clint replied. As if on cue, the Tesseract suddenly switched on. A wormhole appeared and Loki stared into it. He had to do it.

* * *

**_Brooklyn, New York;  
_ **

Steve moved what little belongings he was able to retrieve to Bucky's place. Then Bucky helped Steve catch up with the world. Steve grimaced when he tasted the bananas.

"Yeah, a banana plague wiped the bananas we know out, and this is the replacement. If we want the Gros Michel bananas as they call it, we have to pay to have it imported from Thailand." Bucky explained. Steve scowled as he dumped the Cavendish bananas in the garbage. He would have to check to see if their back pay could cover the costs.

"Any other surprises?" he asked grumpily.

"The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles." Bucky warned.

"What?!" Steve shouted before he launched in an angry rant about traitors. It took Bucky hours to calm Steve down. After Steve finally wound down, Bucky filled Steve in on all of the changes that happened during his 70 years long sleep.

Luckily, not all of the changes were bad, there were also good mixed in. Segregation had ended. It was no longer illegal to be gay. So they could finally be together without worrying about being arrested. They now had vaccines for almost everything. However, Steve wasn't amused when he found out about the anti vaccination movement.

"What the hell?! It would have been great to have vaccines when we were growing up!" he shouted. He seethed for several minutes before Bucky took action and promptly handed his lover Jim and Monty's files. Steve calmed down as he read up on what had happened to two of the Howling Commandos. They had long and happy lives after the war. They married and had families of their own.

Eventually, Steve tried drawing again. Apparently, reuniting with Bucky returned his inspiration. Steve could now draw with no difficulty.

Steve was currently drawing Bucky as the latter acted as a model for his love. After Steve finished, he closed the sketchbook and put it aside for now. Then Bucky and Steve shared a kiss and smiled.

* * *

**_Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. Mojave Desert;  
_ **

Loki arrived on Earth. He was pale and sweaty as he held a scepter. After rising to his feet, he looked around.

"Who are you?" a scientist wanted to know.

"I am Loki of Asgard." came the reply.

"Loki, brother of Thor?" Erik asked. Moments later, all the hell broke loose as Loki killed the scientists and SHIELD personnel in the lab. He had Clint pinned when he seemed to change his mind.

"You'll do." he said as he held his scepter to Clint's chest and proceeded to brainwash Clint. He let Clint go and repeated the process with Erik and several SHIELD personnel. He had just finished up when he saw something at the corner of his eye.

"What are you doing?!" he exclaimed.

* * *

While Loki was occupied, Fury tried to retrieve the Tesseract. He grabbed the Tesseract and placed it into it's briefcase. He picked the briefcase up and was on his way out of the lab when Loki spotted him.

"...I still need that." he declared. A brief exchange broke out before Clint spoke up.

"Sir, Director Fury is stalling. This place is about to blow and drop a hundred feet of rock on us. He means to bury us." he announced.

"He's right. The portal is collapsing on itself. We've got maybe two minutes before this goes critical." Erik reported.

"Well, then." Loki said as he gestured to Clint. Clint pulled his gun to shoot Fury point blank in the chest. Fury dropped the briefcase as he staggered. One of the brainwashed minions ran and picked up the case. Loki and his new minions left the lab with destruction in their wake.


	3. Transfer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Jane are surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 2. Ch 3 will be posted next. Sorry, if this chapter is kinda short, the next chapter should make up for it.

Maria had just finished transporting the supplies when Loki entered with his minions. They passed her while carrying the briefcase.

"I need these vehicles." Loki commanded. Maria was confused. Who was this person?

"Who's that?" she asked Clint.

"They didn't tell me." Clint lied. Maria raised an eyebrow before turning to go. Just then her radio went off.

"Hill! Barton turned. And they have the Tesseract!" Fury declared. Sadly for her, Clint heard and drew his pistol. He shot and Maria dove for cover. She drew her weapon and returned fire. The jeeps started up and took off. Maria jumped into a jeep and gave chase. She was in hot pursuit when the base blew.

* * *

**_Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility, Mojave Desert;_ **

Phil had just finished up the evacuation and hopped in a copter when the Tesseract energies exploded, sending ripples through the base. The base crumbled into itself. Debris were scattered all over, one even hit Maria causing her jeep to crash.

Fury was picked up by the helicopter. He resumed shooting at Loki. Loki used his scepter to shoot energy bolts. Despite Fury's best efforts, the villains were able to escape. Fury had to give up after he was out of bullets.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jane and Darcy learned of their transfer to Tromso, Norway. They were surprised and confused.

"What are we going to do now?" Darcy wanted to know.

"We have to wait." Jane answered.

"I am too impatient for that." Darcy promptly declared. Jane didn't dispute it.

* * *

 _**Bifrost,** _ **_Asgard;_ **

Heimdall was watching Midgard from the remaining Bifrost when he spotted a very much alive Loki holding the Tesseract.

"Loki?" Heimdall was shocked. Realization set in, the King had to know before Loki did something and damaged any chances for peaceful interactions. So Heimdall went to Odin and Thor and told them the news.

* * *

**_Bucky and Steve's place, Brooklyn, New York;  
_ **

Bucky and Steve were in their bedroom, kissing passionately, while they did their uttermost best to strip their lover of their clothing. When they were nude, they fell onto the bed and Bucky grabbed the lube.

Bucky slicked up his fingers and prepped Steve carefully. When Steve was ready, Bucky slicked himself up. He pushed into Steve and took his time.

Twenty minutes later, they were both close to coming, so Bucky wrapped a hand around Steve and started stroking. He stroked Steve until he came all over both of their stomachs. Bucky held out for a few more minutes before he came, spilling his seed deep inside of his love.

As they came down from their orgasms, Bucky and Steve kissed and smiled.


	4. Establish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick Fury starts recruiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 3. BoSA will be updated tmw.  
> I borrowed quotes and dialogue from the CAtWS and Avengers movie. On that note, there will be side stories to go with this series, but you'll have to wait until next year for more future fics in this series. My plate's very full. I had to do some rearranging to fit this fic in this year's schedule. Enjoy.

Nick and Maria were busy dealing with the fallout. Rescue squads had been called to dig out any remaining workers still buried under the debris. They were sore but they promptly got down to business.

"This is now level Seven. We are now at war with something that is even bigger than ourselves. We have to reactivate Avengers Initiative." Nick declared.

"What about the Council? They vetoed it." Maria pointed out.

"Right now, I couldn't care less about some damn Council. This is war and we are not prepared beyond the Avengers." came the reply. Maria sighed but contacted Phil. They'd need his help to contact them.

* * *

**_Russia;_ **

Natasha Romanov was in middle of an interrogation. She played the role of an unknowing decoy while letting them think that they had the upper hand. As expected, they had gotten arrogant. As they interrogated her, they let slip many useful information. All of sudden, her mobile phone went off. Georgi Luchka took the phone from her and answered it.

"I suggest you hand the phone to Black Widow." Phil Coulson declared.

"Why should I?" came the retort.

"I have you surrounded as we speak. If you do not place her on the phone, we will bomb this place before you get to the lobby." Phil replied. Luchka handed the phone to Natasha.

"It's for you." he replied.

"We need you." Phil requested.

"Can this wait? Those morons are telling me everything." Natasha was annoyed.

"I never gave you anything." Luchka protested.

"Natasha, Barton was compromised." Phil stated. Natasha froze before saying,

"Let me put you on hold." the Russians took the phone from her and put it on a nearby table. Natasha promptly took the chance offered. She kicked him in the chest and hopped to her feet. She used her chair to swing her way around, before breaking free. When the Russians were laid out on the ground, Natasha picked up her phone from the nearby table and her heels. As she walked out, she resumed her conversation.

**_Kolkata, India;_ **

Bruce Banner was tending to a patient when a young girl ran in, out of breath.

"My father needs help!" she panted. A few minutes later, Bruce made it to the home of his new patient. However, the daughter of the supposed patient retreated and left him with Natasha. Bruce turned a bit green at the deception.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"We need you and the Big guy to prevent an invasion." Natasha explained.

"Why?" Bruce was suspicious.

"This is too big even for SHIELD." Natasha responded as she took out her mobile and showed Bruce a photo of the Tesseract. Bruce shook his head, not impressed in the least.

"What does Fury want me to do? Swallow it?"

"No, we need to get it back from the god who stole it." Natasha replied. Bruce looked at her. He had a decision to make.

* * *

**_San Francisco, California;  
_ **

Hope put her Wasp costume away, then sat down with her dad to discuss another successful mission. They were celebrating Hope's success when the phone rang. Hope answered it.

"Hello? What?" she was confused. She put Coulson on speaker.

"We're having a crisis. Level seven. We need your help." Coulson revealed. He went on to explain the mission. They were completely shocked. Hank shook his head.

"Only Howard would find something like that. Peggy called him a trouble magnet." he recalled.

"I'm in. I'm on my way." Hope said.

In the meantime, Antoine 'Trip' Triplett visited his granddad Gabe Jones and his remaining alive friends; Jacques Dernier and Dum Dum Dugan. They played cards and talked. They were on the third round of poker when a nurse called to Trip. Trip got up and answered the phone.

"Hello? Wait, really?" his puzzled expression rapidly turned to shock.

"Fine. I'll do it." he finally spoke. He hung up and went to say goodbye to his granddad and the others.

* * *

**_boxing gym, Brooklyn, New York;_ **

Bucky and Steve were unable to sleep due to night terrors. So they went to a boxing gym. They beat the bags until they got tried. Memories raced through their minds.

_Bucky and Steve were racing through the snow filled woods fighting HYDRA with the Howling Commandos. They shot at HYDRA foot soldiers and blew up bases and tanks. Then came the fateful day of the train and Bucky's fall..._

The memories diverged from there, taking different paths.

_Bucky was back in hell. Zola's face loomed over him as they attached that damn arm with the red star to him._

_'Sergeant Barnes...the procedure has already started. You are to be the new fist of HYDRA!' Zola gloated. Bucky then remembered killing a scientist. Being put into cryo. Killing a man and countless others. The chair. Teaching rows and rows of little girls how to fight, kill, and countless other skills._

_Steve was back in the plane, saying goodbye to Peggy._

_'I have to take the plane down in the water.' he declared. Then he was driving the plane down. He was being thawed out._

_'This guy's alive!' a scientist shouted._

They snapped out of their memories just as another bag broke. They sighed, deciding to give up the bags as a lost cause for now and used the boxing ring. They were sparring when Fury found them. Fury had a folder in his hands.

"What are you trying to do? Get us back in the world?" Steve asked.

"Trying to save it." Nick replied. He opened his folder and showed them a picture of the Tesseract. Bucky and Steve were horrified and stood back. Steve eyed the Tesseract with apprehension.

"HYDRA's weapon." was all Bucky had to say.

"Howard Stark fished it out of the ocean. We used it, hoping to find an alternate energy source." Fury explained.

"Now, we need to get it back from the god has it. Your mission is to get that cube and arrest the god. The details are in here. Anything else about the Tesseract?" Fury finished.

"You should have left it in the ocean." Steve declared. He took the packet, as Bucky picked up the bags and they left.

* * *

A hour later, Nick was speaking with the World Security Council. They had pointed questions for him, regarding Maria's recent report. Fury faced five computer screens showing the WSC members' faces. Their body language radiated seriousness and disapproval. Fury was irritated by the Council. He didn't have time for politics, dammit.

"Why did you activate the Avengers without permission?" Councilwoman Hawley was asking.

"We are at war with the unknown." Fury responded.

"And what about Agent Barton? He shot at you and killed countless agents." Councilman Singh wanted to know.

"He didn't shoot me in the head. He may be brainwashed, but I'm not writing him off." Fury replied. Then he shut off the conference.


	5. Soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha gets a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 4. Depending on how things pans out, ch 5 should be posted tmw.  
> Again, the dialogue and quotes come from the movie.  
> ETA; while Loki may think that they have the upper hand. Clint doesn't know everything.

Fury was having a heated discussion with Gideon Malick. The World Security Council member was up in Fury's face about the Clint situation. The S.H.I.E.L.D director was unimpressed in the least.

"What are you going to do about this?!" Gideon yelled.

"We'll get Agent Barton back." Fury responded.

"How will you? With the help of your superheroes? Pathetic." Malick scoffed, not believing in the idea of Avengers Initiative.

"I bet they could save your ass and the whole world while at it. What about you? You can barely save yourself." Fury said, as he cut off Malick in mid retort.

* * *

While Fury was occupied, Bucky and Steve met up with Phil and Trip at a private airport. After they got on the quinjet and were settled. Bucky performed the introductions.

"Steve, those are Agents Phil Coulson and Antoine Triplett." Bucky introduced.

"Call me Trip." Trip said.

"Trip here is Gabe's grandson." Bucky finished.

"Nice to meet you guys," Steve responded as he shook their hands. Then Phil showed them the footage of the Hulk. Steve's eyes widened when he saw the battle of Harlem.

"Dr. Banner was trying to recreate the serum?" Steve wanted to know. Bucky grimaced, not liking being reminded of his time as HYDRA's prisoner. The nightmares were bad enough.

"Too many people were." Bucky grumbled.

"Ever since you went missing, people have been trying to replicate the serum. You was the world's first superhero." Phil explained.

"Didn't really work out for him, did it?" Steve asked skeptically.

"So, I'm not the only HYDRA patient, huh?" Bucky remarked.

"When he's not like this, he's like Stephen Hawking." Phil continued to speak. Bucky smiled while Steve looked confused.

"He means a genius." Bucky explained to Steve.

"I gotta say, it's a honor to meet you, officially. I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping. I mean, I was present...while you were unconscious from the ice. You know it's really just a huge honor to have you on board." Phil rushed out. Steve was taken aback.

"Well, I hope I'm the man for the job." he responded.

"Oh, you are. Both of you are." Phil was unfazed.

"That reminds me, when are you going to mention your Captain America collection?" Bucky remarked. Trip groaned while Phil lit up.

"It's a vintage set. It took me a couple of years to collect them all. Near mint. Slight foxing around the edges, but still good. Would you mind signing them? I have Sergeant Barnes's signature on his own card." Phil explained. Bucky shrugged,

"He has the Howling Commandos ones too. He even got Jim and Monty to sign them when they were still alive." he explained.

"Sure." Steve smiled as he took the cards in order to sign them.

"By the way, we made some modifications to the uniform. I had some design input" Phil mentioned.

"The uniform? Aren't Star & Stripes a bit old fashioned?" Steve wanted to know.

"With everything that's happening, things that are about to come to light, people might just need a little old fashioned." came the reply. The plane continued to glide through the air.

* * *

**_Loki's hideout, an underground lab;_ **

Loki sat in a chair with the scepter and contacted his ally. The Other and Loki faced off. The Other was impatient.

"The Chitauri grow restless." the Other stated.

"Let them grid themselves. I will led them in glorious battle." Loki was nonchalant.

"Battle? Against the meager might of Earth?" the Other was skeptical.

"Glorious. Not lengthy. If your force is as formidable as you claim." came the reply. The Other grew angry and retorted;

"You question us? You question **him**? He, the one who put the Scepter in your hand, who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose when you was cast out, defeated?" Now it was Loki's turn to get angry.

"I was a king! The rightful King of Asgard! Betrayed!" Loki erupted.

"Your ambition means little, born of childish need. We look beyond Earth to greater worlds the Tesseract will unveil." came the reply.

"You don't have the Tesseract yet. I don't threaten, but until I open the doors, until your force is mind to command, you are but words." Loki retorted.

"Fine. You will have your war, Asgardian. But if you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us. There will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you. You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain." the Other warned ominously before ending the conversation.

* * *

While Loki was being brought back to Earth, the plane landed on an airstrip in the middle of the ocean. They emerged from the plane and met with Natasha, Hope, and Bruce.

"Men, meet Agent Romanov. Agent, meet Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes. You know Agent Triplett." Phil introduced. While the trio greeted Natasha, Bruce and Hope walked up.

"Those are Dr. Banner and Ms Pym." Phil continued, as he nodded towards the others.

"Call me Trip." Trip said to the others. Natasha froze when she saw Bucky.

"Why is the Winter Soldier here?!" she hissed.

"Didn't you hear Coulson?" Steve glared.

"He was brainwashed. This is Bucky Barnes." Trip elaborated. Natasha narrowed her eyes at her fellow agent.

"Fine. I'll keep it together until we fix this mess." she relented, then she turned to Trip.

"You on the other hand, owe me one hell of a major explanation." she promptly declared.

"After this is done, I promise." Trip replied. Natasha nodded briefly, before she turned back to the group, Steve in particular.

"You know, there was a lot of buzz around here...finding you in the ice, I thought Coulson was gonna swoon." she directed her sentence towards Steve. All of sudden, the aircraft slowly started to rise in the air.

"Is this a submarine?" Steve wanted to know.

"Really? They want to put me in a submerged pressurized metal container?" Bruce asked. The aircraft took off.

"Oh, this is much worse." Bruce declared. The group were then led inside the now revealed helicarrier. Bucky looked around in sheer awe.

While Fury was busy seeing to the others, Bucky and Steve snuck away for some alone time. In order to avoid the tense atmosphere, they hid in the sleep bay and cuddled up close.

"This is a lot to take in Stevie." Bucky was saying.

"We knew about this thing's strength. Now it's becoming serious." Steve responded.

"We can do this. We can win." Bucky reassured.

"I trust you." Steve smiled. Then Bucky and Steve kissed softly.

* * *

**_Loki's hideout;_ **

After Loki snapped out of his haze, he stood up to check on Erik and the others. Erik was studying the Tesseract when he saw Loki's heading their way. So Erik approached Loki with a request.

"I need more Iridium to stabilize the Tesseract." he reported.

"We'll get you some." Loki promised. Then he and Hawkeye left Erik to work. The duo talked a bit, all too soon, the topic turned to Fury.

"You respect him a great deal." Loki noted.

"Yes, you won't beat him that easily. He's planning to get a team together. You won't stand a chance against them if they manage to work together. But I can tell you everything about the Avengers." Clint warned. Then they sat down to formulate a plan.


	6. Suit Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes gets ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 5. Ch 6 will be posted next.

The Avengers split up. Bruce was shown to his work lab, Hope went with him. Coulson was with the techs trying to find Loki. While Natasha dragged Trip off in order to get her explanation, Nick and Maria discussed the World Security Council and their ultimatum.

When their brief discussion ended, it was back to business. They were all on edge and tired. About ten minutes later, the Avengers converged on the deck just as the techs found Loki.

"Found him in Stuttgart, Germany." Phil announced.

"Gentlemen, you're up." Fury said to Bucky and Steve.

* * *

**_Stuttgart, Germany;  
_ **

Clint and Loki arrived at the base where the Iridium was. Hawkeye took out the guards and got to work on the lock at the doors.

"I need a distraction." Hawkeye said as he got to work. Loki headed towards the next building.

Inside the building, a gala was taking place. The gala was filled with people in fancy dresses, jewelry and tuxedos. An orchestra played classical music as waiters carried trays of wines and canapes.

Loki entered the building and walked through the hallway, heading towards the gala. As he walked, he transformed his staff to a cane and his armor to a black suit. Loki headed to one of the guests and attacked, taking out a device. The crowd screamed and as one headed towards the doors.

* * *

**_helicarrier;_ **

Bucky and Steve were sent to pick up their costumes. Steve froze when he saw the uniform. The outfit was based on his costume from his USO days, the only difference being the blue was more of an azure shade. He dreaded wearing it. Bucky broke in a board smile when he saw the outfit.

"We're keeping that outfit." he promptly declared.

"No way, Bucky." Steve grimaced.

"Bucky, yes." Bucky was unfazed. They had a brief discussion, before Bucky changed the subject to;

"No way, Steve." Bucky said.

"Yes way," Steve started to say only for Bucky to smirk, Steve groaned when he realized that he got tricked.

"Nice." Bucky declared. Steve grumbled but accepted it. After exchanging a brief kiss, they went and got changed.

* * *

**_Stuttgart, Germany;  
_ **

Hawkeye now had the Iridium, but Loki wasn't done by a long shot. He followed the fleeing guests outside. As he walked, he changed back to his armor, only he wore gold complete with a gold helmet. He herded the guests into a square across the streets. A police car came racing up, and Loki shot an energy beam at them causing it to flip over. Loki then continued into the square.

"Kneel before me. I said...KNEEL! Is this not simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel." he proclaimed. The terrified guests knelt. Well, all guests except for one. Loki looked over and saw the lone outsider.

* * *

The lone person turned out to be an elderly German man. He stood his ground.

"i do not kneel. Not to evil men like you." he declared.

"There are no men like me." Loki replied.

"There are always men like you." came the reply. Loki grew angry.

"Look to your elder, people let him be an example." he aimed his scepter and shot. All of sudden, the energy bolt was blocked by a round red and white shield. The shield had a white star in the middle with a blue background. The energy rebound back onto Loki, causing the latter to dive to the ground.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." Captain America declared.


	7. Man Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki battles Captain America.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 6. RP will be updated tmw.  
> I checked, and the fight Thor had with Steve was totally Tony Stank's fault. I figure that if he wasn't there, Thor just might be willing to hear Steve out.  
> Most, if not all of the quotes & dialogue comes from the movie. Some are too long, so I basically recapped some of the dialogue. Especially Thor & Loki's heart-to-heart and Fury's angry lecture to Loki.

_**square, Stuttgart, Germany;** _

The terrified guests watched as a living legend blocked Loki's way to the elderly man. Captain America walked towards Loki all the while wielding his shield.

"The soldier. A man out of time." Loki said as he regained his compose.

"I'm not the one who's out of time." Steve replied. All of sudden, an aircraft appeared right above their heads, a spotlight shone down on Loki.

"Loki, drop the scepter and surrender." Natasha announced. In reply, Loki used his scepter to fire on the plane forcing it to veer off course. The guests promptly scattered as Loki and Captain America started fighting. The super soldier fought Loki hand to hand.

" **KNEEL**!" Loki commanded as he tried to force Steve into a kneeling position.

"Not today!" Steve declared. Eventually, Steve was forced to his knees, when Loki tried to deliver his spiel about craving subjugation, he was suddenly tackled. The plane returned to hover over them.

"You know, you would be a major hit at a BDSM club. Only after you learned proper etiquette." Bucky snarked as Trip held Loki down.

* * *

The spotlight shone down on Loki as Natasha's voice came over the speakers;

"We have you completely surrounded. Surrender." Natasha declared. Loki scowled as he looked up.

"Fine, I surrender." he grumbled. He was pulled to his feet as cuffs were placed on his wrists. He looked around one last time and froze in shock when he saw Hope, Bucky, and Trip. Barton had never mentioned them at all! What was Fury playing at?

* * *

A few minutes later, the jet was on its way back to the Quintjet when lightning lit up the night sky. Loki stiffened.

"What's the matter, scared of a little lightning?" Bucky mocked.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." came the reply. Moments later, Thor reached in the plane and hauled Loki out and flew away.

"What do we do now?" Trip asked.

"We catch up to them." Bucky declared as he grabbed a chute and jumped out. Steve grabbed a parachute and strapped it on.

"You better stay out of this one, Captain. They're practically gods." Natasha warned.

"There's only one God, ma'am and I'm pretty sure that he doesn't dress like that." Steve responded as he jumped out.

In the meantime, Thor had taken Loki to a National wildlife park. He had to talk sense in his brother before they returned home.

"Where's the Tesseract?" Thor demanded. Loki sprawled out on the ground.

"Oh, I've missed you, too." he laughed.

"Do I look to be in a gaming mood?" Thor wasn't amused. They started talking. Their discussed quickly turned heated.

"I am the king!" Loki protested.

"Not here! You give up the Tesseract! You give up this poisonous dream! You come home!" Thor retorted.

"I don't have it. You will need it to bring me home." Loki tried.

"You listen well, brother." Thor began.

"I'm listening." Loki replied. Before Thor could continue, they were interrupted by Bucky and Steve arriving.

"We need Loki back. Fury really wants to have a chat with him." Bucky stated.

"And why should I? He needs to face judgment in Asgard." Thor replied.

"We don't have the Tesseract. Why can't we work together and get it back? You can come with us and explain to Fury that you need to take Loki home." Steve suggested. Thor thought about it before relenting and agreeing to go.

* * *

**_the Hulk's cage, the helicarrier;_ **

SHIELD agents marched Loki to the cell created just for the Hulk. Loki was placed inside, and the SHIELD agents left. Fury approached the cage.

"In case, it's unclear. if you so much scratch that glass, 30,000 square feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how it works? Ant. Boot." he declared.

"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think for me." Loki remarked.

"Built for something a lot stronger than you." Fury responded.

"Oh, I've heard, the mindless beast. Let's pray that he's still a man. How desperate are you? That you call on such lost creatures to defend you?" Loki snarked.

"You have made me **very** desperate. You might not be glad that you did." Nick wasn't amused.

"Ooh, it burns you to have come so close to have the Tesseract. To have unlimited power?" Loki taunted.

"Well, let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something." Fury retorted as he left the detention dock and the prisoner behind.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bucky and Steve went exploring. They walked through the helicarrier holding hands. Eventually, they ended up in the hangar and settled there.

"So, gods?" Bucky commented.

"Unbelievable. I thought they were only myths." Steve nodded.

"On another note, we are definitely **keeping** that outfit. Maybe I can work something out with Coulson." Bucky mused. Steve glared at him before sighing. When Bucky got like this, there was no changing his lover's mind. Steve sat down on his love's lap, and Bucky wrapped his arms around him. They settled down to cuddle for a bit.


	8. Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers are put on high alert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 7. Ch 8 will be posted next. Again, the dialogue and quotes belongs to Marvel.

**_helicarrier;_ **

Thor met up with Phil and they started a discussion. Thor was dismayed when he discovered what had happened to Erik.

"What happened to Lady Jane and Lady Darcy?" he asked.

"They're safe in Norway." Phil assured.

"Thank you so much." Thor was relieved.

"It's no problem, Thor." Phil responded.

**_detention lab, Helicarrier;_ **

Black Widow paid Loki a visit. Loki looked up when Black Widow approached his cell. He sneered at her from behind the glass.

"What is it you want?" he asked.

"I wanna know what you've done to Agent Barton." Black Widow responded.

"I'd say I've expanded his mind." Loki replied cockily.

"And once you've won, once you're king of the mountain, what happens to his mind?" Black Widow questioned.

"Is this live, Agent Romanov?" Loki taunted.

"Love is for children, I owe him a debt." came the reply.

"Tell me." Loki commanded.

"Before I worked for SHIELD, I made a name for my self. I have a very specific skill set, I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me, he made a different call." Black Widow confessed.

"And what are you now?" Loki asked.

"It's not really that complicated. I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out." Black Widow replied.

"Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter, Tugenov, the hospital fire? Yes, Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change everything? This is basic sentimentality. Pathetic! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away! No, I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you! Slowly, in every way he knows you fear! And when he comes back, when he sees what he have done, when he screams, I'll break his skull. That is my bargain, you mewling quim!" Loki retorted.

"You're a monster!" Black Widow trembled.

"Oh, no. You brought the monster." Loki replied.

"So, Banner? That's your play?" Black Widow asked, as she dropped the facade.

"Thank you for your cooperation." She declared, as she turned on her heels and walked away. As she left the detention deck, she pulled out her radio and called Fury.

"He wants the Hulk." she reported.

* * *

**_main conference room, the Helicarrier;  
_ **

Fury met with the Avengers. They got down to business.

"Thor, what's his play?" Steve wanted to know.

"He has an army, called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect for the Tesseract." Thor revealed.

"An army. From outer space." Steve was incredulous. Bucky looked at Steve.

"It's like all of those nickel stories. Those science fiction stories." he marveled.

"Do you still have them?" Bruce asked.

"I mean the stories." he elaborated.

"Yeah, Dum Dum got them for me from Becca's family." Bucky responded. While Bucky and Bruce chatted, Hope was putting the pieces together.

"So, he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for." she deduced.

"Selvig?" Thor asked.

"He's an astrophysicist." Hope explained.

"He's a friend." Thor responded.

"Loki has them under some spell. Along with one of ours." Natasha added.

"What I wanna to know is why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here." Trip pointed out.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell the crazy on him." Bruce spoke up.

"Have a care how you speak! Loki is beyond reason, but he is still my brother!" Thor protested.

"He killed eighty people in two days." Natasha was unfazed.

"He's adopted." Thor replied. They looked at him strangely.

"Does he know that?" Bucky asked.

"Yes, he didn't react well." Thor admitted.

"What I want to know is how he controlled their minds like a bunch of flying monkeys!" Nick exploded.

"I do not understand." Thor was confused.

"I do! I understood that reference." Steve piped up. Now it was his turn to stared at.

"We saw the Wizard of Oz when it first came out." Bucky explained.

"Oh, that explains it." Hope said. The discussion resumed. What the group didn't know was that the Scepter was much more dangerous than they knew. The Scepter was home to a hidden stone. The stone's effect kicked in and the discussion soon turned heated. Everyone were shouting at each other.

"You are all so petty...and tiny!" Thor declared. All of sudden, there was a ruckus as Bruce picked up the Scepter and made a spiel.

"Bruce, put down the spear." Fury announced. Bruce looked down in surprise.

"Sorry, guys, looks like you don't get to see my party trick after all." Bruce said as he set the Scepter down carefully. All of sudden, there was a loud explosion from outside the room. They ran out to find chaos?

* * *

Hawkeye and his crew arrived on a jet. They pulled up next to the helicarrier and rappelled down on the airstrip. They planted explosives and blew a door open.

They entered the helicarrier and shot at the agents. Fury and the other Avengers came running. Fury, Black Widow, Trip, and other SHIELD agents took cover as they pulled their weapons and fired.

As all the hell broke loose, the engines were damaged, and the resulting mayhem stressed Bruce out so badly. Next thing, everyone knew, an extremely angry Hulk appeared on the helicarrier. The crew panicked and ran for cover. Black Widow ran away from him. Hawkeye notched an arrow and shot at the computers, the engines went out.

* * *

When the helicarrier started tilting, Wasp, Bucky, and Steve scrambled to help. Trip ran with Steve and Bucky to the engine room. While Trip fixed the engines, Bucky and Steve fought the brainwashed minions. Eventually, Trip succeeded, and the motor rotors started running again. They kept fighting to stay in the air.

In the meantime, Thor engaged the Hulk giving Black Widow the chance to flee and rejoin the others. A pilot drove up in a jet and zoomed in on the rampaging Hulk.

"Target acquired!" he announced, pressing some buttons. He started firing on the Hulk, attracting their attention.

"Target engaged!" he declared as the Hulk turned and ran towards him. The Hulk jumped on the plane and started punching.

"Target angry! Target angry!" the pilot exclaimed as he parachuted from the plane. The plane flipped off and the Hulk fell off and below...

* * *

While the Hulk was occupied, Fury got on the radio.

"It's Barton. He put out the engines, he's heading to the detention lab. Does anyone copy?" he asked.

"Black Widow here. I copy." Black Widow panted, as she headed to the lab.

Hawkeye was on his way to break Loki out when Black Widow appeared in front of him. They fought hand to hand and didn't cease. Hawkeye was trying to kill his opponent while Black Widow fought fiercely. All of sudden, she ducked and back-flipped Hawkeye over. Hawkeye hit his head and blinked.

"Natasha?" he asked, before he passed out. Black Widow put him into restraints and grabbed her radio.

"Got him." she reported.

**_detention lab;_ **

Thor ran into the deck just as Loki stepped out of his cell.

"Don't you dare!" he shouted, running forward. He was promptly surprised to find himself trapped into the cell while Loki was on the other side.

"I told you not to assume." Loki chided. He smirked as he went to press the button only to be interrupted when Phil entered the deck holding a large blaster.

"You're gonna lose." Phil said.

"Am I?" Loki queried.

"It's in your nature." Phil said.

"You heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky... where is my disadvantage?" Loki pointed out.

"You lack conviction." Phil was undaunted.

"I don't think I-" Loki started to say when Phil pulled the trigger. Loki went down.

"So that's what it does." Phil replied. He went to fire again when Loki vanished only to appear behind Phil. He stabbed Phil and pressed the button. Thor's cell was abruptly ejected...


	9. Continue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes confront a loss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 8. Tony Stark will be mentioned here, but it won't be friendly in the least. I have my own copy of the Avengers dvd, and it is looking like all of the conflict can be tracked back to him. In my opinion, Tony Stark's only role was to create unnecessary drama. Because without him there to piss Thor off, Steve has a better chance of convincing him to join them. Coulson really wanted the Avengers to be a team more than anything. One problem-Stark has never been a team player ever.   
> As warned, Tony Stark fans better stay away! I'll be updating the tags.

As the engines started working again and the fight ended, Fury went looking for Coulson. He found Phil slumped over, and the cell missing.

"Sorry, boss. The god rabbited." he rasped as blood stained his shirt and jacket.

"Try to hold on. Eyes on me." Fury commanded as he tried to keep Coulson alive by placing pressure on his chest wound. In the meantime, he grabbed his radio with his other hand.

"No, I'm clocked out here." Coulson responded.

"Not an option." Fury declared.

"Keep them together, Nick. They are much stronger together." Phil groaned as he went still. Fury looked pained as he radioed in. White suited Medics ran in and went to work.

"Agent Coulson is down." Fury sighed.

"Paramedics are on their way." a SHIELD agent reported. As Fury listened to his radio, the medics declared Coulson dead on the spot. They started taking photos for their files.

"They're already here. They called it." he said. Natasha, and the other Avengers heard him.

Elsewhere, Thor came to in a field filled with wildflowers. Mjolnir laid nearby. Thor stood up and walked over to his beloved hammer. He picked it up and electricity crackled.

While Thor was picking up his hammer, Bruce woke up naked in a warehouse. A confused looking guard peeked down at him.

"Did I hurt anybody?" Bruce asked.

"There's nobody around here to get hurt...You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though." the guard responded. Bruce sighed into relief.

"Are you an alien?" the guard wanted to know.

"What?" Bruce was confused.

"An alien from outer space." came the reply.

"No." Bruce responded.

"Well then, son, you've got a condition." the guard noted. Bruce could only sigh.

"Yeah, I know. Do you have some pants?" he asked sheepishly.

* * *

**_one of the rooms on the helicarrier;  
_ **

Bucky and Steve were alone in one of the rooms. They cuddled up together on a bed while comforting each other. They looked sick. No one had seen Coulson's death coming. Bucky held his love to calm him down.

"Coulson deserved better than this." Steve was saying. Bucky nodded his empathetic agreement. The senior agent had been one of the rare few outside the Howling Commandos to treat Bucky like the human being he was. Despite knowing all the Winter Soldier had done, he had insisted that it wasn't his fault.

"He was the first guy outside the Howlies to say that it wasn't my fault." Bucky admitted.

"It wasn't your fault. It's HYDRA, they made you do it." Steve insisted.

"I know, but the governments aren't going to agree." Bucky sighed.

"We'll deal with that when it comes to it." Steve spoke flatly.

"Anyway,  Coulson made us feel like people and not weapons." he finished.

"So, we'll keep going for his sake." Bucky nodded. They kissed and smiled.

* * *

**_main room, the helicarrier;  
_ **

Fury met Bucky, Steve, Hope, and Trip in the main room. He looked grim.

"There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people. To make them work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes." he began.

"We are still going ahead." Bucky stated with Steve backing him up.

"I'm in." Trip responded, while Hope nodded at Fury.

"You need to watch out for Tony Stark. He calls himself Iron Man. He knows about the Avengers. In fact, he was considered for it at one point. But he failed his evaluation." Fury warned.

Trip grimaced at the mention. While Bucky scoffed. Hope rolled her eyes. While she knew to judge him on his merits. Stark was still a misogynist pig to her. The day that he cleaned up his act and started treating women with actual respect was the day she would consider him a potential work partner.

"Let me guess, he failed because of his massive ego?" Bucky snarked. He had checked up on his old science buddy's son and not been impressed in the least. While he knew that Stark Expo had needed to be showcased. There was advertising and taking things too far.

"Ego?" Steve was confused.

"He built Stark Tower." Bucky explained.

"Stark Tower? That big, ugly building in New York?" Steve made a face. He was an artist at heart and didn't appreciate someone ruining the skyline. Much less with a flashy building that was more of a shrine to someone's ego.

"The same." Hope replied.

"No, it's because he isn't a team player. We need people that are willing to work with others. Teamwork is essential." Fury explained.

"Thanks for the warning." the quartet said.

"What's Loki's endgame?" Steve wanted to know.

"If he's anything like Stark, he's a diva." Trip replied.

"He clearly wants to make his mark, meaning the endgame will be someplace very public." Hope replied.

"So he needs a place visible to everyone. One of the skyscrapers." Trip mused. Realization dawned and everyone groaned.

"Great, you two might be meeting Iron Man a lot sooner." Hope warned Bucky and Steve.

"Dammit!" Bucky growled.

In the meantime, Clint came to find himself restrained. Natasha looked at his eyes only to sigh in relief.

"Clint, you're gonna be alright." she said.

"You know for sure? I gotta go though, I gonna flush him out." Clint responded.

"You gotta level out, that's gonna take time." Natasha replied.

"You don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Take you out and stuff something else in? You know what it's like to be unmade?" Clint declared.

"You know that I do." Natasha reassured.

"Why am I back? How did you get him out?" Clint wanted to know.

"Cognitive re-calilbration. I hit you really hard on the head." Natasha declared.

"Thanks." came the reply. Then Clint was freed from his restraints.

"I would feel a lot better if I put an arrow though Loki's eye." he mused.

"Now you sound like you." Natasha smiled.

"You don't. What happened?" Clint looked concerned.

"I was compromised. I have red in my ledger." Natasha sighed.

* * *

A few minutes later, Bucky, Steve, and Trip met with Hope, Natasha, and Clint.

"We know Loki's endgame. We need to go to Manhattan." Steve was saying.

"I know where we can get a jet." Clint mentioned.

"Have you got a suit?" Bucky asked.

"Yeah." Clint replied.

"Suit up." Steve said. Then they went to get ready. Bruce was given something to wear, while Thor charged up Mjolnir. Clint readied his bow and quiver. Others restocked their supplies. Bucky checked his armory. Steve grabbed his cowl and put it on before grabbing his shield. When they were ready, they headed to Bay six to retrieve a quinjet.

* * *

In the meantime, Loki met up with Erik. Erik was excited.

"The Tesseract is stable, I'm ready to go." he said.

"Excellent." Loki smirked, then they set out for Manhattan. They had a date with destiny.


	10. Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers have to go to Manhattan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 9. RP will be updated next. In this one, Tony Stank, er I mean Tony Stark enters the scene.

**_Stark Tower, Manhattan, New York City, New York;_ **

Erik and Loki arrived at Stark Tower. They started setting on the roof overlooking the helicopter deck. They finished setting up the machine and placed the Tesseract in the device. They powered it up and got ready.

"Sir, Intruder alert." JARVIS announced.

* * *

When JARVIS alerted Tony Stark, he looked outside and promptly was outraged. He stomped outside;

"What do you think you're doing?! Shut that thing down!" he shouted.

"It's too late! She can't stop now. She wants to show us something! A new universe." Erik Selvig exclaimed.

"Ok." Tony said as he transformed into Iron Man and blasted the device. A barrier sprang up and knocked Erik against a nearby wall.

"The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreakable." JARVIS warned.

"Plan B then." Tony said, powering down and going to deal with the machine himself. Loki blocked his way,

"You'll do." Loki smirked as he raised his staff and tapped Tony on the chest. Nothing happened.

"Strange, this usually works." Loki was bewildered.

"Well, performance issues, it's not uncommon. One out of five..." Tony snarked. Loki was annoyed and rolled his eyes. He picked up Tony and threw him across the deck.

* * *

**_Bay Six, the Helicarrier;_ **

The group of Bucky, Steve, Hope, Trip, Clint, and Natasha were dressed and ready to go. Clint, Trip, and Natasha wore their SHIELD bodysuits and had their weapons. Natasha had guns and her widow bites. Clint had his bow and arrows. Trip had guns and some gear he had inherited from Gabe.

Hope had on her Wasp costume and discs. Steve was wearing his uniform and carried his Shield with some guns. Bucky had on his Howling Commando uniform and had a state of the art rifle. He carried knives and extra guns. They walked into Bay Six.

"Hey, you are not authorized to be here!" one of the maintenance crew members protested.

"Son, just don't." Steve responded. Then they filed onto one of the quinjet. Bucky grabbed Steve and took him to one of the seats around a table. He didn't trust Steve to land a plane safely, not after the Valkyrie incident. Steve rolled his eyes but accepted. Clint and Natasha took their seats in the cock pilot, while Trip and Hope joined them. A few minutes later, the plane took off for Manhattan.

* * *

**_Manhattan;_ **

Thor arrived in Manhattan, he flew out to meet Loki. He grabbed the wayward Asgardian and tried to talk sense into him.

"Brother, stop this!" Thor exclaimed.

"It's too late. It can not be stopped." Loki responded. He laughed and looked to the sky. As if on cue, a blue and black wormhole appeared in the sky...

* * *

**_Manhattan;_ **

Civilians were going around their usual routine. They went shopping, had coffee and worked on their laptops, rode the subway. All of sudden, a blue beam shot up in the sky. A portal opened above Manhattan, and bizarre creatures poured out. There were Leviathan ships filled with Chitauri flying through the air. The Chitauri hopped off ships as they landed and started attacking people. The civilians started screaming as they panicked. Some ran, while others took pictures to post online.

"I was right! There are alien life out there!" several sci-fi fans were giddy. The conspiracy theorists shared their enthuisiam.

Elsewhere, Skye's jaw dropped when she saw the breaking news on her phone. She ran to her laptop and after it rebooted up. She looked through the articles and saw the pictures. Yup, she wasn't dreaming, aliens were real. And SHIELD had covered it up last year.

"Miles! You need to see this!" she called. They both looked at the screen.


	11. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes have more to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 10. Depending on how things pans out, ch 11 should be posted tmw.

**_Manhattan, New York City, New York;_ **

Iron Man tried to take the Chitauri on his own. Sadly, he failed due to the portal. For every five Chitauri that his gauntlets took out, ten more would take their place. The Levithan ships just kept coming. In the end, Iron Man was forced to give up for the moment to being overwhelmed. He flew away to regroup.

While Iron Man fought the Chitauri forces, Thor tried to destroy the portal. Going as far to fly up to the portal and using his hammer to hurl lightning bolts at it. Sadly, he failed. Just then the quinjet arrived...

* * *

The quinjet arrived in Manhattan and saw the blue wormhole in the sky. Levithan ships filled with Chitauri forces flew out of said portal. They would land on the group or fly around the buildings. Chitauri jumped out and terrorized the citizens.

Sadly for the Avengers, Loki saw the plane coming and used his scepter to shoot it down. Hawkeye and Black Widow were forced to land the plane. They all jumped out of the plane and landed on the ground.

* * *

A few minutes later, Thor met up with his teammates. They were appalled by the sheer chaos and wanton destruction around them. They were in total shock. Parts of the street was on fire. Cars were overturned. Screaming citizens ran through the streets or tried to hide. There were broken windows and several buildings had holes in them from Chitauri forces.

"Are you seeing this?" Trip asked.

"Seeing, but not believing." Bucky replied.

"I have unfinished business with Loki." Thor stated.

"Yeah, well get in line." Hawkeye declared. They turned their back to each other to look around at the enemy. Just then Captain America spotted a cluster of police cars some distance away. Police officers were frantically shooting at the Chitauri.

"Do you think you can hold them off?" he asked as he started to hop and jump over obstacles.

"Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure." Hawkeye responded as he took out his bow. Black Widow stood at his side as she pulled out her guns and took aim. They started shooting at the Chitauri and helping the terrified civilians.

* * *

Captain America went over to the NYPD. The police officers had arrived on the scene and were trying their uttermost best to stop the oncoming Chitauri. Sadly, they weren't having much luck.

"You need men in these buildings. There are people inside and they are going to be running right into the line of fire. You take them to the basements, or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far as 39th." he stated. The police officers stared at the Captain America wannabe skeptically.

"Why the hell should I take orders from you?" the police sergeant challenged. Just then, the Chitauri attacked. Captain America blocked a blast with his shield, kicked another away with it. All the while blocking a point bank assault and punched another in the face before stealing a weapon from the force and flung a Chitauri across the street. The sergeant was shocked when he saw the man being able to keep those creatures at bay effortlessly. Another man joined him and they battled their way through the streets.

"I need men in those buildings. Lead the people down and away from the streets. We're going to set a perimeter all the way to 39th street." the sergeant declared as he radioed instructions to his fellow officers. They then separated to get their work done.

Captain America and Bucky got a family out of a crushed car. While Steve rescued the family, Bucky used his guns to keep the aliens at bay. They worked on destroying the aliens.

* * *

Meanwhile, Iron Man met up with Thor. Iron Man tried to defuse the uneasy tension with humor.  Sadly, his attempt wasn't appreciated.

"Is everything humorous to you?" Thor meant business.

"Funny things are." Iron Man replied.

"Now isn't the time." Thor retorted.

"Okay, my bad." Iron Man backpedaled. Thor took off to rejoin the others. They had a world to save.


	12. Responsible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Each member gets a job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 11. Ch 12 will be posted next. Sorry for the delay, I ran out of time.

**_Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York;_ **

Bruce arrived and the Avengers stood as a team for the first time. Captain America, Sergeant Barnes, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Agent Triplett, Bruce, Wasp, and Thor.

"So...this all seems horrible." Bruce commented when he saw the destruction.

"I've seen worse." Natasha said.

"Sorry." Bruce responded.

"No, we...can...use..a little worse. Just like Budapest!" Natasha replied. Hawkeye shook his head.

"You and I remember Budapest very differently!" he retorted.

"Doc...I think now is the perfect time for you to get angry." Steve said to Bruce.

"That's my secret, Captain. I'm always angry." Bruce responded as he transformed into the Hulk. The Avengers were ready to go.

* * *

In the meantime, Loki watched as the Chitauri went all out. Leviathan ships were all over the place from flying through the skies and shooting at everything and anything. Chitauri forces were dropped off and they rappelled down the buildings to the streets below or crashed through the windows to offices inside.

The Chitauri that made it inside were attacking and terrorizing the terrified citizens. The Chitauri even went as far as killing some civilians and caused billions in damage. They were going to destroy the city if they were not stopped.

* * *

**_Avengers;_ **

"Call it, Captain!" Hope said to Steve. So Steve took command and started giving out instructions. Tony saw the Avengers standing in a circle and went to land on the ground, and walked over.

"Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal, our priority's containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays." Steve began. He saw Tony and decided to include him for the time being. They would need his expertise.

"Stark, if you really want to be part of this. You get the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn to ash." he continued.

"Want to give me a lift?" Hawkeye asked Iron Man.

"Right. Better clench up, Legolas." Iron Man said as he flew off carrying Hawkeye.

"Thor, you gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow 'em down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up. Romanov, you stay with Trip, Bucky, and I here on the ground, keep the fighting here. And Hulk? Smash! Hope, you help him. Sabotage those machines, make his job easier." Steve finished. Wasp shrunk down and hopped on the Hulk's hand. Then the Hulk bounded away with his partner.

* * *

About a hour later, the Avengers were all over the area as they fought the Chitauri. Thor used his lightning to slow down the Chitauri forces as they flew away from the portal. Iron Man boxed the Chitauri in, so they stuck to the area Steve had set up.

Hawkeye found a perch and took down the Chitauri one by one. The Hulk was bouncing all over the place, throwing a Chitauri at another, smashing two leviathans together. Wasp helped add to the chaos, from sabotaging the leviathans and making them crash into each other and made the Hulk's job easier.

Trip, Captain America, Black Widow, and Bucky fought from the ground. Black Widow and Trip fought back to back as they shot at the Chitauri forces and rescued more civilians. Captain America and Bucky shared the shield between them. The shield was used as a frisbee. They were determined to beat the enemy.

* * *

Unknown to the heroes, a young man named Dave Griffith got them fighting the Chitauri forces on tape. While he was terrified of being caught, this was important for the public to know. So he stayed put deep into hiding and made sure to catch every single moment on tape. He was going to get the big story.


	13. Evac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury puts up with the Council.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 12. RP will be updated next. Then I'm going to focus on finishing that fic. When the prologue for the next fic is posted, I'll be switching back to this one.  
> Again, Tony isn't an Avenger at all. Steve included him in the briefing mainly for two reasons. First, they might need his expertise. Second; remember the saying; 'Keep your enemies closer' That's why.

**_Tomso, Norway;_ **

Darcy and Jane were in the lab when Darcy showed Jane the footage. Jane was shocked and scared until they recognized Thor.

"What is he doing there?" Jane was confused.

"We can check later." Darcy suggested. Jane nodded before they resumed their work.

**_Golden City, Wakanda, Southern Africa;_ **

The royal family were shocked when they saw the news. T'Chaka lit up in pure joy and hope. He was a long time admirer of Captain America.

"Is that the real Captain America?" T'Challa wanted to know.

"If he is, he has the shield. He will be fine." Shuri responded.

* * *

**_Fury's office, the helicarrier;_ **

Fury was arguing with the World Security Council. Fury was furious. He had to make a split second decision.

"Director Fury, the council has made a decision." Councilman Hawley began.

"I recognize that the council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid ass decision, I've elected to ignore it." Fury replied.

"It's a nuclear missile to take out the portal!" Councilwoman Malick pointed out.

"Situated at the Island of **Manhattan!** " Fury exploded.

"It's the best decision for all concerned." Councilman Singh declared. Fury refused to budge from his stance. This situation wasn't going to be resolved anytime soon.

* * *

**_one of the buildings in Midtown, Manhattan, New York;_ **

Loki had a discussion with the Other. They were determined to see this through.

"We need to put more force into this." Loki was saying.

"You did not put all of your heart in it." the Other replied. Then Loki remembered his scepter. They were shocked when he noticed that it was at the tower and not with him. Loki ended the discussion and turned to head back to the tower.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Hulk, Thor, and Wasp were busy. Wasp called a wasp to her then they went flying around sabotaging Leviathans. The Hulk jumped around, destroying as much leviathan ships as much as possible. Sadly, the large Leviathan was giving him fits.

Thor flew around trying to contain the damage as much as possible in between slowing them down so the others could destroy the forces. They had a tight hold on it.

* * *

**_Midtown Manhattan;_ **

The National Guard finally arrived. They met with the NYPD as they evacuated civilians. Two police officers tried to fend off the Chitauri force. Sadly, they were killed in the process. The remaining officers got the civilians out. The invasion continued without an end in sight.


	14. Staff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha rushes to the tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 13. Sorry for the delay, rl issues came up. Ch 14-15 will be posted next.

Captain America and Bucky fought the Chitauri. They crashed through a window and jumped through. They found terrified civilians inside. They cowered in the corners of the office. Bucky and Steve rescued the civilians and guided them out. They had to get them out of harms' way first and foremost.

* * *

**_Stark Tower, Manhattan;  
_ **

Loki arrived at Stark Tower and met with the Hulk. Loki tried to stand tall.

"I am a god! You can not defeat me!" he declared. The Hulk wasn't impressed in the least.

"Enough! You are, all of you are beyond me. I am a god, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by-" Loki was cut off by the Hulk grabbing him by the ankle and flinging him around. He slung him back and forth, slamming him on the floor, turning him into a Loki pancake. When the Hulk was done, Loki was unconscious.

"Puny god." the Hulk scoffed. He jumped away and joined the battle.

* * *

While Loki was being turned into Loki-pancake, Black Widow, Trip, Captain America, and Bucky continued to fight on the ground. Wasp and Thor joined them. Steve ran in for a save but got in over his head. Thor rescued him but Steve's mask was knocked off in the process. Bucky got scared and stepped in his way, shielding him from the enemy.

"Thanks, Thor." Bucky said to Thor.

"You are welcome, Sergeant." Thor smiled.

* * *

A hour or so later, the group was still fighting the Chitauri, but the fighting was taking a toll on them. They were exhausted.

"Captain, none of this is going to mean a damn thing if we don't shut down that portal." Black Widow declared.

"How? Our guns couldn't touch it." Steve wanted to know.

"Well, maybe it's not about guns." Black Widow responded.

"If you want to get up there, you're gonna need a ride." Bucky replied. Black Widow looked up and saw a passing Chitauri fighter.

"I got a ride. I could use a boost, though." she replied.

"Are you sure about this?" Steve questioned.

"Yeah. It's gonna be fun." came the reply. So Steve gave Natasha a lift with his shield to get into the air. Natasha caught a ride on the chitauri fighter jet. She kicked off the pilot and made it to the tower. She jumped off at the roof nearby and saw the staff.

* * *

When Black Widow arrived at the tower, she headed to the portal device just as Erik stirred. He groaned and pushed himself up with his hands. Natasha looked over and saw him. She was wary of him until Erik stood up and turned around. She realized that he was back to normal.

"I need your help turning this thing off." Natasha began.

"I placed a fail safe in. I need the staff." he mentioned.

"Hurry. We are getting swarmed!" Natasha exclaimed.


	15. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury is left in a tight spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 14. Ch 15 will be posted next.

Fury and the WSC finished their discussion. Sadly, the WSC overrode Fury's decision and ordered the missile to be launched. So Fury and Hill planned to intercept the plane. Fury ran to the hangar where the jets were kept. He took a rocket launcher and aimed it at the F-35 Lightning II carrying the bomb. The plane was shot down and crashed, luckily the pilot survived.

Unknown to Fury, the plane he shot down was a decoy. The real plane carrying the missile took off. Fury tried to stop the other, but it was too late.

"Motherfucker!" he cursed. He turned and ran inside to send a call out.

* * *

**_Stark Tower, Midtown Manhattan;  
_ **

****Natasha and Erik were at the tower. Natasha grabbed the scepter and forced it into the machine. Erik rushed to man the controls and turn off the portal. The missile, meanwhile was heading straight for Manhattan.

* * *

Iron Man saw the pilot drop the missile before making a U-turn back to base. Just as the Avengers got Fury's call, Iron Man was already moving to intercept the missile. Iron Man grabbed it and carried it towards the portal.

"I can close it. Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down." Natasha was saying.

"Do it!" Steve declared.

"No, wait, there's a nuke heading our way! It's going to blow in less than a minute." Bucky shouted.

"I got it. I know just where to put it." Iron Man declared.

"Stark, you do know that it's a one way trip?" Steve was skeptical.

"Save the rest for the turn, J?" came the reply.

"Sir, shall I try Ms. Potts?" JARVIS suggested.

"Might as well." Iron Man replied. JARVIS attempted to connect with Pepper and got no answer.

"Sir, she isn't responding." the AI said. Tony sighed before he carried the missile in the wormhole. When he made it to the sanctuary. He aimed it at the mother ship. He watched as the ship exploded. Then he flew back through just as the portal closed.

* * *

As the portal closed, the Chitauri all dropped dead. Every single force collapsed entirely. It was like a puppet had cut their strings. 

All of sudden, the Avengers saw a falling red and gold figure. The Hulk jumped and caught Iron Man. Iron Man was brought to the ground and laid out. The Hulk roared, waking up the armored figure.

"What the hell? What just happened? No one better have kissed me." Tony declared.

"Let's get some pizza." Trip suggested to the others.

"First, we have loose ends to tie up." Bucky warned. They rushed to the Tower.

* * *

**_Stark Tower;_ **

Loki groaned as the world came back to him. He saw the unhappy Avengers surrounding him. They glared at him, daring him to move. Hawkeye had his bow aimed at him. The Hulk loomed over him. Loki grinned nervously,

"Is it too late to take that drink?" he asked. They rolled their eyes. Loki was cuffed and taken into custody. The Avengers were happy to have him in custody. They would need to make sure he stayed put until Thor could take him to Asgard.


	16. Clean Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes prepare to rebuild.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 15. FBCM will be updated tmw.

The Avengers and Iron Man ate their pizzas. They were really tired and ready to sleep. Thor was scarfing down his pizza while Bucky and Steve shared two boxes of pepperoni pizza. Due to the serum having given them a faster metabolism, their diet required more calories. So they had to eat twice the amount of food. As they ate, they kept checking each other for injury and vice versa.

Hope and Trip talked over their meal. Clint was still silent as guilt overtook him. Natasha wrapped her arm around his shoulder. Rhodey arrived,

"So do you want me to call in another search team?" he asked.

"We just finished it. Thanks though." Natasha answered.

"You're welcome to join us for pizza, if you want." Trip invited. Thanking them, Rhodey took a seat and got a slice.

* * *

Meanwhile, the scepter were delivered to SHIELD scientists; Nicholas Cooper and Mark Smith to study. Cooper had light brown hair with a beard. Cooper beamed as the box was opened.

"I cannot believe it!" he exclaimed. His partner groaned and wheeled it in.

* * *

While Nicholas was finding out about his new project, Thor visited Erik in the infirmary just as Jane and Darcy arrived. They hugged and smiled.

"We will take care of you." Jane promised Erik.

In the meantime, the public had varying reactions to the Avengers. The emotions ranged from joy to wary fear. They were unsure what to think. The battle between the Chitauri and Avengers had resulted into billions of property damage and loss of life. So, the reporters asked the citizens their opinions. Kids were dressed up as the Avengers with mask and toys.

"Captain America and Sergeant Barnes saved my life. If I could, I would just tell them thanks." a civilian was saying.

"They are monsters!" a civilian shouted in fear. 

"Superheroes in New York? Give me a break! It's all a hoax." an elderly civilian scoffed from his seat in Checkers and Chess House in Central Park.

**_Golden City, Wakanda, Southern Africa;_ **

T'Chaka and T'Challa received a surprising report from Nakia.

"Sergeant Barnes and Captain Rogers are both alive and real." Nakia reported.

"This is quite odd." T'Chaka mused.

"Barnes was held prisoner for nearly seven decades before escaping." she added.

"Keep us updated." T'Chaka said, ending the meeting.

* * *

**_Midtown Manhattan, New York;_ **

Adrian Toomes and his crew were cleaning up the streets. They recovered Chitauri technology and weapons from the streets. When they finished for the day, they had a lot of Chitauri technology.

* * *

**_master bedroom, Bucky and Steve's place, Brooklyn, New York;_ **

Bucky and Steve were in bed naked. They had decided to take the rest of the day off in order to recharge. They laid in the bed and kissed. Then Bucky sat up, and pulled Steve onto his lap, they kissed again.

Taking a hold of his hips, Bucky pushed into Steve and let him set the pace. Steve rode Bucky slow. Rolling his hips the entire time. A long time later, they came hard panting.

As they laid on their backs and relaxed in the aftermath, the couple kissed and sighed happily.


	17. High Profile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers wrap things up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 16. Depending on how things pans out, ch 17 should be posted tmw.  
> I know I went easy on Tony in this fic. As I said, I'm going by canon, so his transformation in a villain will be gradual. Oh, and I have plans for Loki, so his punishment will be covered here.

**_Bethesda Terrace, Central Park, Manhattan, New York;_ **

The Avengers and Erik gathered in the park. Most of them wore their street clothing. Thor had on his armor and red cape, while Loki had on his usual outfit complete with a long coat. He wore a metal muzzle and was cuffed. Erik opened the Tesseract case to reveal a canister with the Tesseract inside. He handed it over to Thor.

**_helicarrier;_ **

Fury was in his office facing the WSC. The WSC members looked at Fury with disapproval, while Fury was nonchalant.

"Where are the Avengers?" Councilwoman Hawley wanted to know.

"I'm not currently tracking their whereabouts. I'd say they've earned a leave of absence." Fury stated.

"And the Tesseract?" Gideon Malick wanted to know.

"The Tesseract is where it belongs: out of your reach." Fury responded.

"That's not your call." Gideon wasn't amused.

"I didn't make it. I just didn't argue with the god that did." Fury was unrepentant.

"So you let him take it and the war criminal, Loki, who should be answering for his crimes?" Councilman Singh asked.

"Oh, I think he will be." Fury replied.

"I don't think you understand what you've started. Letting the Avengers loose on this world. They're dangerous." came the reply.

"They surely are. And the whole world knows it. Every world knows it." Fury declared.

"Was that the point of all of this? A statement?" Councilwoman Hawley asked.

"A promise." Fury replied, then he ended the meeting.

* * *

**_Central Park, Manhattan;  
_ **

Thor hugged his friends goodbye. Then he got out his hammer and held it in his left hand, while he took one side of the canister in his right hand. Loki looked at him before taking the other end. As they held the canister between them, the Tesseract came to life and transported them home.

**_helicarrier;_ **

Nick walked out of his office and met with Maria Hill. They walked in the bridge.

"Sir, how does it work now? they've gone their separate ways, some pretty extremely far. We get into a situation like this again, what happens then?" Maria questioned.

"They'll come back." Fury reassured.

"You really sure about that?" Maria asked.

"I am." Fury responded.

"Why?" Maria wanted to know.

"Because we'll need them to." Fury responded. Then he gave orders to the SHIELD agents. It was a normal day at SHIELD.

* * *

The Avengers shook hands and said their goodbyes. Then they went their separate ways. Clint and Natasha left in a jeep together. While Hope, Bruce, and Trip climbed into a sedan. Bucky and Steve rode Steve's motorcycle to the Brooklyn Bridge. They wanted to see their old neighborhood.

* * *

**_the sanctuary, other side of the galaxy;  
_ **

The Other was speaking with Thanos. The Other was disgruntled and uneasy. The Chitauri had been wiped out.

"Humans...They are not the cowering wretches that we were promised. They stand. They are unruly, and therefore cannot be ruled. To challenge them is to court death." they said. Thanos rose from his chair and smiled as he formulated his next plan.

**_the Trisklelion headquarters, Theodore Roosevelt Island, on the Potomac River, Washington D.C.;_ **

HYDRA had a private meeting at SHIELD headquarters. Pierce was furious while others were equally angry and worried. The public now knew that James Barnes was alive and an Avenger. The fallout of the Battle of New York was still being felt. The news of Captain America and his Sergeant being alive was huge. Right now, Captain America and Bucky Barnes were high profile, so they were untouchable. It would be a very long time before the spotlight left them, if ever.

"The public knows about Barnes." Brock Rumlow reported. Pierce growled.

"We lost a major weapon. We won't be able to get him back." he declared.

"What are our orders?" Jack Rollins asked.

"Find replacements." Pierce said. The agents looked at each other.

* * *

**_throne room, Asgard;  
_ **

Loki was led in the throne room by Asgardian warriors. The second prince was now in chains complete with a collar. He was sans muzzle, though. Frigga stood at Odin's side. When Frigga saw Loki being led in for his trial, she looked pained.

"Loki!" Frigga breathed.

"Hello, Mother. Have I made you proud?" Loki asked.

"Please, don't make things worse..." Frigga sighed.

"Definite worse." Loki replied. Odin and Frigga exchanged glances before Frigga left the room. Loki was led to the throne, he laughed as he took in Odin's angry face.

"I really don't see what all of the fuss is about." he promptly declared.

"Do you not truly feel the gravity of your crimes? Wherever you go, there is war, ruin, and death!" Odin replied.

"I went down to Midgard to rule the people of Earth as a benevolent God, just like you." Loki stated.

"We are not gods! We're born, we live, we die, just as humans do." Odin lectured.

"Give or take five thousand years." Loki retorted. They engaged in a brief angry discussion before Loki ended the argument with,

"It's not that i don't love our little talks, it's just...I don't love them." he finished. In reply, Odin sentenced Loki to a life sentence in the dungeons.

"Take him to the dungeons now!" he commanded the guards.


	18. News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trip visits his granddad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 17. Depending on how things pans out, ch 18 should be posted tmw.

**_San Francisco, California;_ **

Hope met with Hank. After exchanging hugs, they both made lunch together. They laughed at some old baby pictures. It was nice for the father and daughter pair to be together.

* * *

**_SHIELD labs;_ **

Phil was resurrected using Kree technology. The project was named; T.A.H.I.T.I. The process was painful and Phil could only beg for the pain to stop.

"Stop it! Please!" Coulson pleaded. Eventually, the process took effect and Fury wiped the memories of Phil's death and resurrection. False memories of a grass hut in Tahiti were implanted. The machine then put him to sleep.

* * *

**_Barton homestead;_ **

Clint reunited with his wife Laura and kids. Cooper and Lila came running to hug their dad. They were happy and relieved to see each other.

"Dad!" Cooper yelled.

"Daddy!" Lila squealed.

"Honey," Laura smiled.

"Hi, kiddos!" Clint smiled as he hugged the kids and kissed his wife.

"I have some time off." he announced.

"That's amazing, baby!" Laura beamed as the kids cheered. The parents kissed again before Clint kissed both of his kids on the forehead.

* * *

In the meantime, Trip visited Gabe, Dum Dum, and Dernier. They greeted each other then sat down.

"I have some good news." Trip began.

"What is it, kiddo?" Dum Dum wanted to know.

"Steve is alive. He survived the plane crash." Trip announced. They were taken by surprise.

"How? Wait the serum." Dernier realized.

"Yup, he is with Bucky. I will bring them to see you guys another time." Trip responded.

"Promise me that." Gabe requested.

"I promise." Trip vowed.

* * *

  ** _Bucky and Steve's place, Brooklyn;  
_**

Bucky and Steve were eating a steak dinner at their place. They had decided to take a vacation and go off the grid in order not to be found by reporters or HYDRA.

After they finished their dinner of steak, baked potatoes and broccoli, they cleaned up and went to their room. When they had entered the bedroom, Bucky turned and locked the door. Then they started to take off their clothes.

When they were nude, Steve climbed onto the king sized bed and Bucky grabbed the lube. Bucky slicked up his fingers and joined Steve on the bed. He carefully prepped Steve.

When Steve was ready, Bucky slicked himself up. He pushed into Steve with a sigh. The pace was slow and intimate. They slowly worked their way up to their orgasms. Eventually, they came with heavy sighs. As they came down from their highs, Bucky and Steve kissed and smiled.


	19. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Steve pays a visit to the living Howling Commandos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's ch 18. The Epi will be posted next. The prologue for the fic next on the list should be posted tmw though.  
> I checked the MCU timeline, and I have no idea what Steve did between the Battle of New York and the HYDRA reveal, so I claim creative license.  
> Don't worry everyone-HYDRA will be dealt with, I promise. I'm planning on doing the CAtWS arc, only with with different Assets!

A few days later, Bucky and Steve walked into the home and saw Gabe's head from the entrance. Bucky dragged Steve over to the others. They hugged each other close.

"Cap, how are you?" Dum Dum greeted.

"I'm doing pretty good." Steve smiled.

"It is good to see you again." Dernier added. Then they sat down to catch up.

* * *

**_Pym House, California;_ **

Nick met with Hank Pym. They talked in Hank's home.

"Hank, give me your honest opinions on the Avengers." Nick requested.

"I don't think that Tony Stark should be an Avenger." Hank began.

"He isn't." Nick reassured.

"Oh, thank God." Hank was relieved. While he and Howard had made up. He didn't trust Howard's son in the least. Tony certainly didn't earn the moniker 'Merchant of Death' for nothing. While he had been enjoying life in the fast lane, Obadiah Stane had taken management of Stark Industries and sold their weapons to terrorists around the world. At most, Anthony Edward Stark was most definitely guilty of gross negligence. With that thought in mind, he asked Fury a vital question. 

"Do you think that Tony knew what Stane was doing?" he asked Fury.

"I honestly have no idea. But if he had actually bothered to pay attention, Stane would have been caught a long time ago." Fury responded.

* * *

**_Bucky and Steve's place, Brooklyn;_ **

Trip visited Bucky and Steve. After they finished greeting each other, they sat down to talk.

"Hey, Trip. How are things?" Bucky asked.

"Nothing much. I just came back from seeing Gramps and the others." Trip replied, before changing the subject.

"I also found someone there that can help you get those triggers words out." he finished.

"That's awesome. Who is it?" Bucky asked.

"Wakanda psychiatrists." Trip responded.

"Wakandan?" Bucky was confused. Trip started to explain.

* * *

Meanwhile, Darcy, Jane, Bruce, and Erik were starting a science project. They were excited.

"Okay, how do you want to proceed?" Jane was saying.

"We can start with our controls." Bruce suggested. So they identified their control and started testing.

**_Asgard;_ **

Thor met with Heimdall. He handed the Tesseract canister over to the guard of the Bifrost Bridge.

"Take the Tesseract. Use its power instead of the All Father's to restore what I destroyed. Let the fires of the Bifrost burn once more." he stated.

"Thank you, Prince Thor." Heimdall smiled.

* * *

**_bedroom, Bucky and Steve's place, Brooklyn;  
_ **

Bucky and Steve had some alone time. They cuddled in their bed.

"Do you think that those doctors can fix me?" Bucky asked.

"I don't know, but it is worth a shot," Steve sighed.

"It is always worth it to try." he finished. Bucky kissed Steve's temple.

"I hope it is." he replied.


	20. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Steve travel to Wakanda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the epi. Part 2 won't be out until 2019. But here's a hint anyway, that fic is more of a side story, explaining how Bucky and Steve deals with HYDRA once and for all.  
> Other Marvel characters will be making cameo appearances here. I know it is a tad bit early for some. I have plans, and Bucky really needs to get those trigger words out of his head. We all know that they can be used against him.

**_the Trisklelion headquarters, Theodore Roosevelt Island, on the Potomac River, Washington D.C.;_ **

Phil Coulson met with Nick Fury. They were all business. Phil would be assigned a team. And they would deal with locating and retrieving the Chitauri weapons and tech that were being sold on the black market.

"I've compiled a list of people for your team." Fury began.

"Who? Please tell me that you brought in Agent May." Phil replied.

"Yes, she will be your second in command." came the reply. Then they resumed their discussion.

"Now, here are the others; Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, and Grant Ward." Fury said, pulling out three more folders.

* * *

**_Golden City, Wakanda, Southern Africa;  
_ **

Bucky and Steve arrived in Wakanda. Nakia led them off the plane and over to the King and Queen. King T'Chaka and his wife, the Queen Mother Ramonda were accompanied by women in red battle dresses, they were the Dora Milaje.

"Meet King T'Chaka and Queen Ramonda." Nakia said, as she performed the introductions.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, I am Captain Steven Rogers, and this is my friend and love; James Buchanan Barnes." Steve began.

"It's nice to meet you in person. Welcome to Wakanda." T'Chaka smiled. They shook hands and then the couple were led to the lab and introduced to the team of doctors. The neurologist started with scans. They were going to try to find answers.

* * *

In the meantime, Miles and Skye met up. They wanted to know exactly how the infamous Battle of New York had come to occur. After all those years of no evidence of alien life, despite rumors to the contrary. Aliens all of sudden decide to invade them now? The timing was too suspicious.

"There is something going on under the surface." Skye was saying.

"Yeah, I think so too." Miles nodded.

"Let's look into it more." Skye suggested.

**_Sokovia;_ **

Pietro and Wanda Maximoff were reading the newspaper when they stumbled upon the news of the Avengers. They read about the Battle of New York.They read the article about the Battle of New York. The twins looked at each other in confusion.

"Wait, is Stark not an Avenger? It says that he was just there." Pietro wanted to know.

"No, he isn't." Wanda replied. They kept reading it to learn more.

* * *

**_San Francisco, California;  
_ **

Hank and Hope decided that it was time to find their third team member. Hank was getting too old to use the AntMan suit. And Hope really needed a partner. Eventually, they found the perfect person in Scott Lang. One day, they approached Scott.

"Scott Lang?" Hank asked. Scott looked up in surprise.

"Yes, that is me." he responded.

"We have an offer for you." Hope began.

"I'm listening." Scott replied. He didn't know what he was getting into.

* * *

**_Bucky and Steve's room, the palace, Golden City, Wakanda. Africa;  
_ **

Bucky and Steve were in their assigned bedchambers at the palace. The couple were making love on their king sized bed. Steve was on his back with his legs spread wide. Bucky was laying in between them.

Bucky rolled his hips as he thrust in and out. The pace was slow and loving. A long time later, they reached their climaxes. They came with soft groans. They kissed after coming down.

There was a future for them. Bucky would get better. And they would finally root HYDRA out of their beloved friends' legacy. They just had to believe.


End file.
